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I had an interesting phonecall earlier today.  My mobile rang at work and someone asked for me by my married name. That almost never happens…
 
It turned out to be a Radio 4 researcher who had read my blogpost on moving to Ashford.   The consumer affairs/ personal finance show (to go out later this year) is to be fronted by Alvin Hall – the finance guru with the fancy bowties.  The edition they called me about was on buying houses – whether the babyboomers have got all the ideal housing stock, whether people are just a bit impatient and ought to save up more and wait a bit longer, that kind of thing.I repeated my usual joke that I had with friends in London when I was in my 20s.  We used to say that the only way we’d everget onthe housing ladder was to marry someone about 10 years older than us that already owned property.  Of course that’s exactly what happened for me in the end, but it wasn’t actually a plan! 

So while I may not be the ideal person for that show (about 10 years too old, owned a flat previously so not a first-time buyer, and I’m a “new commuter” rather than a struggling local, at least at the moment), there are a few interesting things about housing in Ashford:

• there’s one couple (Fergus and Judith Wilson) that own lots of Ashford’s rental housing stock, although they are gradually selling it off – that should mean more first-time buyer homes on the market;
• the high speed train may well encourage others like us to move out here from London as opposed to Hertfordshire, Surrey, Essex etc. when looking for more space, decent schools, bigger houses;
• 29,000 more households are to be established in the Ashford area – but what sort of households are intended?;
• there’s a difference between the villages and the new estates and south Ashford in terms of the type and cost of properties.

I asked the researcher how they got hold of my mobile number – after all, I don’t publish it, not on here, not on any social media sites.  I was told that having found my blog they looked up my ISP.  Investigative journalism skills, eh? 
But a tiny tad scary if you’re not used to the rather comfortable almost-anonymity of the internet and the idea that your blog is really only read by Russians who want to offer you viagra and a few lovely eurobloggers, of course.   

I suggested that they might be best hanging out around Park Farm Tescos to find their ideal interviewees. 

So, if you are someone or know someone who fits the bill and wants to be on a radio programme, leave me a message here.  I’m sure the same researcher will pick it up… It could be quite exciting!